Car-coupling



U ITED STATES PATENT .QFFICEQ CHARLES A. GOULD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,747, dated July 12,1892.

Application filed December 23, 1891. Serial No. 415,963. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. GOULD, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car Couplings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings which are providedwith a horizontally-swinging coupling hook or jaw pivoted to thedraw-head and a dog or pawl which engages with an arm on thecoupling-hook,

and whereby the hook is locked in its closed position.

Heretofore various devices have been employed for automatically movingthe couplinghook into its open position when released by thelocking-pawl; but none of them are entirely satisfactory.

The object of my invention is the provision of simple means whereby thecoupling-hook is swung into its open position with certainty whenreleased from its locking-pawl, and which is not liable to get out oforder.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of acar-coupling provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection thereof in linear; m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan viewthereof.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the draw-head, having the usual recess or chamber A.

B is the horizontallyswinging coupling hook or jaw, and C thelocking-pawl, which engages with the inner arm I) of the couplinghookfor holding the same in its open position. In the drawings the ordinarypivoted locking dog or pawl is shown; but any other lock may beemployed, if desired. All of these parts are old and operate in awell-known manner.

D represents the gravity shifting device whereby the coupling-hook isswung into its open or uncoupled position when its lockingpawl is movedout of engagement with its locking-arm b by the usual releasing-chain ofthe pawl. This shifting device consists of a bell-crank lever pivoted onthe under side of the draw-head near one side thereof to depending lugse on the draw-head by a horizontal pin or bolt 6', so that the lever canrock .crank descends by gravity, causing the upper arm of the bell-crankto move outwardly and shift the locking-arm of the coupling-hookoutwardly, thereby automatically moving the hook to its open position.The lower arm of the bell-crank is sufficiently weighted to overcome theinertia of the coupling-hook when the latter is unlocked. When thecouplinghook is swung to itsclosed or locked position by striking thehook of an opposing car, the upper arm of the bell-crank, being in thepath of the locking-arm of the hook, is moved inwardly to its formerposition, whereby the weighted arm of the bell-crank is again raised,ready to swing the coupling-hook to its open position upon beingunlocked. The hook is thus automatically opened in a reliable mannerwithout the use of springs, inclines, or similar provisions, which areliable to tail of action. Thc improvement is simple in construction, andcan be adapted to draw-heads of the type herein shown and describedwithout requiring any change or rearrangement of the old parts.

My improved gravity device for automatically opening the coupling-hookis susceptible of various modifications involving the principle of myinvention, and I do not therefore wish to be confine-d to the particularembodiment of the improvement illustrated in the drawings.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with the draw-head of theswinging coupling-hook and its locking device, of an independent gravityshifting device operating against the hook whereby the latter isautomatically moved into its open position when unlocked, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The combination, with the head, the

IO of its arms against the arm of the couplinghook and having its otherarm Weighted and arranged in an overhanging position, substantially asset forth.

Witness my hand this 11th day of Decem: her, 1891.

CHARLES A. GOULD.

Witnesses:

FELIX J ELLENIK, JAMES H. DUNN.

